The War that is Quidditch
by Queen of the Caribbean
Summary: Set five years after their graduation from Hogwarts, Ron and Harry are members of the English World Cup Quidditch team - see inside for full summary.


**The War that is Quidditch**

_Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor do I have anything to do with Harry Potter besides fanfiction. I am not making any money out of this story, and I am not worth suing._

_Spoilers: Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix_

_Summary: Set 5 years after graduation of Hogwarts. Harry and Ron were signed on to the English Quidditch Team on Graduation, as Seeker and Keeper; Hermione works in the Ministry of Magic in Department of Mysteries. Ginny is with the Committee on Experimental Charms, and Neville is a member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were signed on with the Ireland Quidditch Team, as Seeker and Beaters, and Draco is also thought of highly by the ministry, following in his father's footsteps._

_What happens when Ireland and England face off in the Quidditch World Cup, when old rivals are brought together for the first time since graduation? Can they all put the past behind them to keep peace for the Finals?_

There is nothing in the world that matches the excitement felt before a world championship game – either in the Muggle world, or the Wizarding world. It ebbed through the very essence of the players, tapping into the old lines of adrenaline and excitement that had kept the game in existence for so many centuries. The night before was always the most nerve racking – no player on either side could sleep, eat, or stop moving. Each team member was doing something to keep them active, whether it was re-reading training notes, drawing and experimenting with play ideas, writing letters to family members and friends, reading magazines, or pacing the balconies and lounge-rooms of the hotel rooms.

Though the game was being held in Ireland, many wizards chose to remain in England, Apparating the morning the game started. Still, even with the fewer English numbers, there were thousands of wizards from other countries, many arriving weeks before hand to ensure good camping places. Hotels, both Muggle and Wizard, had been booked out since the announcement of the hosting country. Some people, like Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom, were guaranteed a place to stay, and an open pass to all matches taking place when they were not working because of their places in the Ministry.

Others, like Fred and George Weasley, the owners and proprietors of Weasley Wizard Wheezes – one of the most popular joke store chains in the wizarding world – were not only there to watch the games, but had been employed to supply jokes and gags to the general public. Since leaving school partway through their last year, the twins had branched out to other countries, their school-based products selling like mad, and had also included other, multi-purpose gags, aimed at the adult community.

These, and the thousands of others like them, were caught up in the craze that was Quidditch. Storefronts displayed posters and banners of the teams they supported, houses were decorated accordingly. But this year was different; for the first time in over five years, Ireland and England would face. For the first time in five years, enemies would meet, again, on the Quidditch field. And for the first time in five years, two people questioned their career choices.

So, for the first time in five years, the games really begin.

The air was sharp, and it carried an amazing thing. It was tinged with excitement, billowing clouds of adrenaline, mixed with apprehension, and anxiety. The two most impressive teams in Quidditch would finally face off, after a season-long dance around and towards each other. Even at the hotel where the English Quidditch team was getting ready for the match, the same clouds drifted around, circling the players and their reserves. Ronald Weasley, wearing the National colours, leaned against the balcony of his hotel room. Though he didn't consider himself a very good player in comparison to the previous Keeper, he had the backing support of his friends, his team, and the entire wizarding community of England. The morning was clear, perfect playing conditions, and there was no bad weather predicted. He looked down, where there was a busy bustle of wizards hurrying towards the stadium where the game was to take place.

The sound of a knock from inside the room caused him to jump, and he turned, half-expecting to see his mother hurry into the room, with her usual 'Ron, you're a mess! You've got dirt on your face, your robes are crumpled, what did you do? Sleep in them?' Instead, when he opened the door, he found one of the Chasers, Alanna Benitra, standing there wearing a nervous smile. Somehow, the smile wasn't reassuring, gave the impression she was on the verge of tears.

"What's up, Lan? You nervous about tonight?" Ron knew it was a rhetorical question; the answer was obvious on her face. She nodded, and Ron stepped back to let her walk inside. "I don't know why... you've all told me I'm a good player, and I've played before now, so why is it such a big deal? How did you cope for your first big game?"

Alanna sat down on the couch, and Ron took a seat across from her. "It wasn't easy," he admitted after a minute. "I'd been the first reserve for a year, and my first game with the full team was the semi-final of the world championships. Marco Lloyd was one of the best Keepers England has ever had, and when the Bulgarian Beaters managed to put him out of commission, it was my turn. I was scared stiff. My first game was in front of five thousand people, and for the first circle of the arena, I felt like I was going to fall off my broom. When we started playing, though, after I saved my first goal, I forgot about the crowd, and played the game. It was like practice sessions – it didn't matter if I dropped a goal, because there was always time for everyone else to catch it up. Just don't worry about it – even Harry gets nervous before games. It's part of the package."

Alanna, however, didn't look convinced. If anything, she looked even more nervous at the fact that Harry Potter, one of the most celebrated Seekers in the Quidditch world since Viktor Krum, was nervous before a game. At 19, she was the youngest player on the team, but one with quite a lot of talent. A former student of Beauxbatons, she carried herself with a natural air of superiority on broomstick. Another knock on the door caught Alanna's attention, and when Harry walked in, she blushed as though he'd caught her doing something she wasn't meant to.

"Hey, Benitra, how're you feeling?" he asked, noticing the nervous look on her face. She blushed again, and nodded, "I'm ok, I guess. I won't really feel better until this game is over, though. H... how long do you think this game will go for?" Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged, before answering, "Well, it's hard to say. We've never played this Ireland team - they switched players last week because a couple of their team members ended up in recovery, and their team is pretty strong, but their Seeker... Ron and I have played him, and he's a pretty good player – even if he is a git who had to buy his way onto his house team at school. Just watch out for the Beaters – they like to send Bludgers in the general direction of their opposing Keeper, or any Chasers who may be close."

Alanna nodded, taking in the information. It was always good to have someone on the team who knew the opposing players, and how they played. Ron glanced at his watch. "I hate to break up the party, but we're going to be running late if we don't get going pretty soon. You two ready to go?" At their nods, Ron scrawled a note on a spare piece of parchment, left it on the table with a tip, and started in the direction the others had taken. Though the game wasn't until that night, there was the publicity side of things to deal with, and the press conference, and the private forum where they would meet select ministry officials, competition winners, and other high-rolling friends of the ministry. Then the games would begin....

The excitement in the campsites rose an extra couple of notches with the arrival of the salesmen, selling an assortment of things to the public. Rosettes in the colours of Ireland and England, the center of each which changed to display the face of a team member at the same time the player's name was announced; the usual green dancing shamrock hat for Ireland, and a new item for England – a beanie sporting a very lifelike Hippogriff that moved around constantly. There were also flags of all sizes that played the respective country's national anthem as it was waved; miniature models of the team members, which walked around giving tips on the position they played – some, special edition, models came with a miniature broom, and both walked around holding it, and flew, rising inches off the surface of one's hand, a desk, the ground, or wherever it was.

Ginny Weasley didn't bother to buy anything from the freelance vendors, and instead headed to where her brothers had set up their stall. A huge crowd was gathered, but Ginny didn't bother to try and push through. She walked to the side, where a security guard let her through. Fred and George, considering themselves too important to sell the goods personally, were at the back, loudly debating a name for a new product, a hat that turned the wearer a shade a violent green, with bright blue spots – a clever publicity move on their part, as the customers listened intently to understand what the new item was, and how long before it would come out onto the market. Upon seeing Ginny, however, they dropped everything and caught their little sister in a hug.

"Ginny! How are you, little sister?" asked Fred in falsely sweet tones. Ginny glared at them good-naturedly. "Fine, oh wonderful brother. I've got a message to pass on to Ron, and since you two are going to that publicity thing tonight, and I'm not, I thought you might be able to pass it on for me. It's from mum," she added as an afterthought. The twins exchanged looks of a devilish nature, which vanished as Ginny glared at them again. She pulled an envelope from her pocket, and handed it over. "Make sure he gets it before the end of the night, mum's orders, and please don't make a big scene. I've been looking for someone to practice a new levitation charm on!"

After spending a few more minutes with the twins, and only escaping when they had loaded her pockets with jokes and tricks, instructing her not to give them away, but to lighten the spirit at the office with them. It was only when Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, girls who had once been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team alongside Fred and George and were now their girlfriends, turned up, rescuing Ginny from her overprotective brothers. Angelina and Fred had been an on-again-off-again item since they were in 6th year, and at the moment, it was on-again.

Ginny made her way to where camera crews and reporters were gathered around two long tables, each with 10 people behind them. The first table, the Ireland side, was a fair distance from the England side, though both team line-ups were equally impressive. The Irish side boasted players with more guts and determination then most teams. The second table, the England side, had a line-up of pure skill and ability, not to mention light-flyers.

A spare piece of parchment fluttered down from the main crowd, and Ginny picked it up curiously. There was a photograph, years old, from an old Hogwarts Yearbook. The headline was still in vibrant red, above a photograph of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. 'Three friends, three challenges!' Ginny smiled, pocketing the photograph, remembering when it had been taken.

She stood at the back of the crowd, listening to the questions being sent towards the teams. The Irish side held no interest for her, so she listened to the English side.

It was Ron who spoke up first, before any reporters had a chance to speak. "We will only be answering questions relating to Quidditch, and the World Cup. Any press member who wishes to discuss other details must go about it in the regular fashion, and request an interview." Harry shot Ron a grateful look, before turning back towards the press.

Reporter: 'Daily Prophet, Mr. Potter, as the team captain, what comments do you wish to make on the state of your team?'

Harry: 'They've trained hard, and though we lost an excellent Chaser, Matthew Gaugan, I believe we've covered all bases completely. Alanna Benitra is just as skilled, and our defence, James Harper and Shaun Terryince, show no signs of falling under strain'

Harper and Terryince laughed at this, and exchanged glances from opposite ends of the table.

Reporter: 'The Quibbler, Miss Benitra, how do you feel about the upcoming game? Do you believe you will match Gaugan's ability on the pitch?'

Alanna: 'As Harry said, the side lost an excellent Chaser. Matthew Gaugan had an amazing ability, and I know he will be back on track as soon as he recovers. For the meantime, I don't hope to be as good as Gaugan in such a short time period, but I'll do my best for England tonight'

Reporter: 'Witch Weekly, Mr. Weasley, do you have any comments on the alleged threats from Ireland's Beaters, Crabbe and Goyle?'

Ron: 'I don't take lightly to threats, and as I played against Crabbe and Goyle during my high-school years, these threats are ones I don't take particularly seriously. Whatever happens out there, I only go out to play the game'

Reporter: 'Quidditch Today, Mr. Potter, as I'm sure you're aware of, the broomsticks you will be riding tonight are special edition Firebolts, namely the Black Firebolt, named after Azkaban escapee Sirius Black. Do you have any comments on the choice of broomstick for the upcoming match?'

Harry: 'As I have told countless people, reporters, and as the general wizarding community now knows, Sirius Black was an innocent man, and my godfather. It was he who gave me my original Firebolt, and I see it only fitting that he should have one named after him. The team choice to use this particular Firebolt brand was simply because it is currently the best broomstick available'

At this, Ginny turned, and walked away. She still had work to do, and standing here listening to a press conference was not going to get it completed. It was bad enough she had to skip the first chance she'd had for nearly three years to see her brother to finish the work, but if she didn't get it done now, she'd miss out on the match as well.

Harry stood as the final reporter packed away his microphone and notebook, looking at his team members. He'd only been announced as captain of the team at the pre-conference meeting, and had worn the glittering C only when the team insisted. Ron, who knew Harry deserved the recognition, had sealed the C with a quick charm before Harry could protest.

Alanna, who had been looking decidedly pale ever since she'd walked up to the table, even now had to lean heavily on Ron to keep herself steady. He knew how she felt, though, because he had felt just as bad before his own first big game.

Waiting for the rest of the team to leave first, and cop the worst bit of the autograph session, Harry glanced out over the remaining crowd for someone he thought he'd seen earlier in the interviews – Ginny Weasley. When talking about Sirius, and the reason for the Black Firebolt, he'd been sure he'd seen her at the back of the crowd. Well, if she were there, she'd be at the private forum with the rest of the Ministry Officials at the game. Wouldn't she?

Walking through the crowd still managed to give Harry a buzz, to think that all these people wanted autographs, to be like him and his team. Ron was ahead, with Alanna still in tow, causing more rumors no doubt, and the Beaters reformed themselves behind him, creating a protective backing. The Beaters always did this to the Seeker, Captain or not – they couldn't let anything happen to their star player. It was the Seeker who always gained the most attention, as it was the Seeker who was the most important.

They reached the building where the private forum was being held a few minutes late. Not only were the members of the ministry already there, but so to were the competition winners of both countries. It had become tradition to offer, in the countries that made it to the finals, a chance to 'meet your National Quidditch Team, and speak with your favourite players'. The meet and greet sessions were a huge success, and everyone involved got a huge load of enjoyment from them.

Both Quidditch teams arrived at the same time, from opposite doors, amid tremendous applause. Albus Dumbledore, ex-headmaster of Hogwarts, now Minister of Magic, was the first to shake hands with the English side. He had taken over the vacant office of Cornelius Fudge when the said Minister announced retirement. Professor McGonagall had taken over the control of Hogwarts, but ran it under the guidance of Dumbledore, who still knew everything there was to know about Hogwarts and what was going on in it.

"Glad to see you again, Harry," he said, grasping Harry's hand with his own. "And you too, Ron," he continued along the line. Before he had a chance to look around at the other Ministry members, a familiar-looking girl caught him in a hug. "Harry! I'm so glad England made the final!" Harry stepped back to see who had caught him off-guard, and almost fell over his own feet. "Her...Hermione? I haven't seen you since... since... well, since Bill and Fleur's wedding, and that's what... two and a half years ago? What have you been doing?"

Hermione smiled, "I'm with the Ministry, you know that much, and I've been promoted again into the Department of Mysteries. As per usual DOM procedure, I can't tell you what I do, but I can say that I'm sick of prophecies..." she trailed off, remembering something she'd been involved in, but only told about afterwards – the death of Sirius Black.

Ron interrupted, causing Hermione to catch him in a hug as well. "Hermione! Long time, no see! How's life?" She hugged him as hard as she could, "Ron! I almost forgot you're on the team too! How's married life been treating Bill and Fleur? I heard you're an uncle now... well? Details, please!"

Ron grinned; obviously he was very taken with his niece. "Well, her name is Candice, Candice Georgia, and she is such a sweetie! She looks like Fleur, but her hair is a coppery colour, not blonde, but not red. Mum thinks the whole world revolves around her, and she has everyone in the family wrapped around her little finger – Dad especially."

Harry walked away, leaving Ron and Hermione to talk, as Charlie Weasley walked through a door across the room, beckoning to Harry. Charlie was wearing a smaller version of the England rosette, and a huge grin. "Harry, I have news for you about Ingrid Shannon – she's decided that she'll stop writing about you because she came across the facts about what happened to the last reporter – you know, Rita Skeeter. She's taking up nature writing – dragons in their natural habitats, to be exact!" Harry laughed, he knew that there had been attraction between the two, and it had only been the fact that Ingrid had been harassing the entire Quidditch team that had stopped Charlie from doing anything about it.

When Charlie wished him well, and left the room, Harry went through the usual motions of being introduced to the competition winners, signing autographs for them, and giving them hints and tips about how to be a better player. Ron had never enjoyed this part of the forums, as he had no real way to tell people how to be a better Keeper – his last comments on how he managed to become such a good Keeper were along the lines of, 'just don't get hit with the Quaffle, and don't let it get past you,' or 'just go out and do it.' He hated giving advice, but the autograph part wasn't so bad – at least his name was legible.

The drinks were brought out shortly after the first introductions began, but none of the team members had anything to drink except water. Even Ireland's team, who had a reputation for being able to hold their liquor, didn't drink anything. And even through the crowd, Harry still searched for Ginny.

It wasn't until the clock chimed, and he met up with Ron, that he realized that she wasn't there. Ron waved a letter in front of his face – "Fred and George stopped in, and dropped this off for me – it's from mum. There's one for you inside too, and Fred said that Ginny gave it to them to pass on. Apparently she'll be in the top box at the game, with the rest of the ministry officials who aren't working."

Harry caught himself blushing, and Ron laughed. "I know you're still in deep with Ginny, and all I can say is this – if you hurt her again, I'll hurt you again, only worse them last time." Bringing his face back to normal, Harry grinned and the two friends turned and walked out. The game was getting closer.

A fairly long chapter to start with, hopefully it's caught someone's attention! I've rated the story PG-13 because it will get fairly violent, but the rating may be upped to R if I'm told it belongs there.


End file.
